The invention described herein was made in the performance of official duties by employees of the Department of the Navy and may be manufactured, used, licensed by or for the Government for any governmental purpose without payment of any royalties thereon.
The invention relates generally to submersible vehicles, and more particularly to a submersible vehicle having a hull that is substantially or completely collapsible and that can be used as a wet or dry submersible vehicle.
Manned submersible vehicles are used in a variety of naval and civilian activities. xe2x80x9cDryxe2x80x9d submersible vehicles are constructed to keep water out of the various operator compartments whereas xe2x80x9cwetxe2x80x9d submersible vehicles must be piloted by scuba-equipped operators as the vehicle is allowed to fill with water during the submerging thereof. Dry submersible vehicles are generally large and are designed for long underwater missions. Wet submersible vehicles provide a number of advantages when compared to dry submersible vehicles. For example, wet submersibles are neutrally buoyant and, therefore, require less power than a comparably-sized dry submersible which needs a greater amount of propulsion power to overcome the vehicle""s inherent buoyancy. Thus, wet submersible vehicles can be smaller thereby making them more maneuverable in shallow and/or obstacle-laden water environments. Further, wet submersibles are ideal for search and rescue missions since the operators thereof are already outfitted with scuba gear and can quickly exit the vehicle when needed. Currently, submersible vehicles are designed to be either xe2x80x9cwet xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cdryxe2x80x9d. However, there is no submersible. vehicle designed to be operated in both wet and/or dry modes.
The problems associated with existing wet and dry submersible vehicle designs include: i) substantial weight requiring larger propulsion and steering systems, ii) a rigid constant shape that prevents their stowage in a smaller, logistically desirable volume for transportation and storage, and iii) their inability to adapt to either a wet or dry submersible stat us.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved submersible vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a submersible vehicle design that will be of loser weight when compared to comparably-sized existing submersible vehicles.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a submersible vehicle that can be collapsed to a smaller volume for transportation and storage.
Yet another object of t he present invention is to provide a submersible vehicle that can be used as either a wet or dry submersible vehicle.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a submersible vehicle having both wet and dry submersible portions.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious hereinafter in the specification and drawings.
In accordance with the present invention, a submersible vehicle has a hull having a forward end and an aft end. The hull has an outer wall that is at least partially constructed of a multi-wall fabric having a sealed space between at least two walls thereof. The sealed space is controllably filled with one of air, water, and a combination of air and water in order to control the buoyancy of the hull formed from the multi-wall fabric. Means are provided for propelling and steering the hull in the water. The interior volume of the hull can remain dry or can be filled with water for a wet mode of operation.